I&B Ministry
MIB tells broadcasters to pay heed to hearing impaired & visually challenged viewers
NEW DELHI: All television channels have been requested by the government to assign greater emphasis to programmes for disabled persons and to include the facility of providing captions in their programmes for the hearing disabled and audio support for programs for the visually disabled.
In a notice put up on its website late in the evening, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry also requested the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (lBF), the News Broadcasters Association (NBA),the Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India (ARTBI), and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to take steps in this direction.
The notice, which was put up under directions of joint secretary (Broadcasting) R Jaya, said the request was being made as immense public interest is involved.
The notice follows a meeting held between I and B secretary Sunil Arora and the secretary in the department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability (DoEPwD) to discuss advocacy and dissemination requirements for ‘Accessible India Campaign’ and other related issues .
Certain areas were highlighted in the meeting where support of MIB was solicited, such as awareness generation about the Accessible India Initiative, increased frequency of programmes for disabled persons in TV channels, showcasing films on achievements of disabled persons through public and private TV channels, and working towards captioning for the hearing impaired and audio facility for the sight impaired in programmes on TV channels in a time frame.
The note also said that the electronic media has played a crucial role in ensuring inclusiveness of all cilizens of the country in sharing information and entertainment.
The concerned bodies and channels have asked to give details of the achievements of such actions taken to the ministry.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
